Culture and the university

an ecological approach

Ronald Barnett

pp. 125-144

in: Aaron Stoller, Eli Kramer (eds), Contemporary philosophical proposals for the university, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan, 2018

Abstract

Mostly, it seems as if universities no longer have anything to do with culture. Indeed, "culture" has come to take on negative connotations. However, a positive idea of culture in relation to the university may yet be available. Here, the tack is taken of looking to the coming of the ecological university. Such a university would take an interest in itself as a space of culture and would also exemplify a particular culture, namely, an ecological culture. This would be a culture of concern for the whole world, in all its manifestations, and no less than seven ecosystems are identified, across which this ecological culture would show itself. Culture, accordingly, is not an add-on but is the essence of the ecological university.